Bottom – TIM SILVER
detail, Untitled (bust), 2011 
Pine Timbermate woodfiller 
Courtesy of the Artist and Breenspace, Sydney

Parallel Collisions
2012 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art
Curators Natasha Bullock and Alexie Glass-Kantor 

An experiential proposition inspired by art, cinema and literature, the 2012 Adelaide Biennial explores the ways in which ideas emerge, converge and re-form through time. From a floating island of 2000 cut-glass objects to an explosive light installation that clocks in real time human births, deaths and dying stars, this Biennial considers the temporality of the present as it parallels and collides with the past.

Across four physical platforms, Parallel Collisions presents 21 commissioned works by some of Australia’s leading artists, 21 original texts, a designer, an architect, two curators and an institution, forming a connective tissue that attempts to understand our subjective experience of time.

The accompanying publication is a 344 page offering where discursive, contradictory, creative and lateral ideas converge. Contributing authors include Christos Tsiolkas, Adrian Martin and Justin Clemens.

See more here

Top – ROSEMARY LAING
Groundspeed (Rose Petal) #17, 2001, detail  
C Type photography 
110 x 185 cm 
Courtesy of the Artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne   

Bottom – JOHN GLOVER
A View of the artist’s house and garden, in Mills Plains,
Van Diemen’s Land, 1835, detail  
oil on canvas 
76.4 x 114.4 cm 
Morgan Thomas Bequest Fund 1951 
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Top – SHAUN GLADWELL
Pataphysical Man, 2005, detail  
video still 
Performer: Daniel Esteve Pomares 
Videographer: Gotaro Uematsu 
Courtesy of the Artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne and Sydney  

Bottom – MARCO FUSINATO
Mass Black Implosion (Free music No 1, Percy Grainger), 2009, detail 
ink on archival facsimile of score 
23 x 32 cm 
Courtesy of the Artist and Private collection

See what ‘s on at the Adelaide Festival 2012

“Heaven and Hell. It was with those two words that curator Victoria Lynn and I began our discussions surrounding the 2012 Adelaide Festival visual arts program: the polarities of heaven and hell as the twin energies pulling at, and guiding, our imaginations. As Victoria puts it, it is in the “force field” between these poles that art exists. For me, art, often created in seclusion, is by nature experiential, indeed incomplete in itself until experienced; it requires the reaction of the observer for its latency to be activated, and then it in turn becomes informed by our thoughts, dreams, our personal histories to become part of its narrative arc. “Heaven” and “hell” might be the way we imagine our best and worst selves, the outer extremes of our potential for good and evil; they mark conceptually the boundaries of the possible.”
- Paul Grabowsky, Artistic Director, 2012 Adelaide Festival

See the Adelaide Festival – Visual Arts Program for full details.

]]> http://www.dgdesignnetwork.com.au/dgdn/briefingroom/adelaide-festival-2-18-march-2012/feed/ 0 http://www.dgdesignnetwork.com.au/dgdn/briefingroom/%e2%96%b3-sugar-mountain-%e2%96%b3/ http://www.dgdesignnetwork.com.au/dgdn/briefingroom/%e2%96%b3-sugar-mountain-%e2%96%b3/#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2011 05:37:53 +0000 admin http://www.dgdesignnetwork.com.au/dgdn/?p=2809

Saturday 30 April 2011
The Forum Theatre, The Atrium and Federation Square
Melbourne, Australia

Taking place over multiple locations in Melbourne’s city center, including
The Forum Theatre, No Vacancy Gallery at Federation Square, and
The Atrium, Sugar Mountain will celebrate the diverse creative forms of music and visual art, with a focus on the natural meeting points between.

Sugar Mountain’s visual arts program is curated by Creative Director Pete Keen, with support from No Vacancy Gallery. We are pleased to have the following selection of Australia’s finest young creatives, alongside some very special international guests, exhibiting at Sugar Mountain.

Musicians VIRGO FOUR (USA), Aa (USA), NO KIDS (Canada), YELLOW FEVER (USA), COOLIES (NZ), CANYONS, QUA with the Ritmo Giallo Ensemble, YOUNG MAGIC, COLLARBONES, RAT VS POSSUM, OSCAR + MARTIN, GALAPAGOOSE, OTOUTO with the No Lights, No Lycra Dancers, TWERPS, BROUS and NO ZU.

Visual artists AINSLIE FLETCHER, ALEX KOPPS (USA), BECI ORPIN, BEN BARRETTO, BRETT CHAN, CHARLIE CALLAHAN (USA), CLARK GOOLSBY (USA), CODY HUDSON (USA), CORNELIUS BROWN, DAVID POTES (USA), FERRIS PLOCK (USA), GEORG, JAY HOWELL (USA), JULIAN HOCKING, KATRINE HILDEBRANDT, KELSEY BROOKES (USA), KILL PIXIE, KYLE FIELD (USA), LEIF PODHAJSKY, MARK DREW, MARK TRZOPEK, MARK WARREN JACQUES (USA), MEL KADEL (USA), MIKE PERRY (USA), MONICA CANILAO (USA), NAILS, NAT RUSSELL (USA), NEIL KRUG (USA), OLIVER HUNTER, OSCAR VINCENT SLORACK THORNE, RHYS MITCHELL, RAPHAEL RIZZO, RYAN HEYWOOD, RYAN JACOB SMITH (USA), RYAN TATAR (USA), STEFAN MARX (DE), STEVEN HARRINGTON (USA), TWO ONE, EIGHTY FOUR FILMS (USA), THE AMIGO UNIT (USA), THE CREATIVE LIVES (USA) and SERPS.

Kelsey Brookes

Two One – Hiroyatsu Tsuri

Brett Chan

Plus a live painting performance by THOMAS CAMPBELL (USA), live visual and light show by KIT WEBSTER & JAMES WRIGHT, ‘Every Shape Has A Secret’ starring JANE BADLER, curated by ANITA SPOONER & DANIELLE GEPPERT, Screening of ‘Gaudy Romp’, scored by FOOTY and curated by ANITA SPOONER & DANIELLE GEPPERT; and social experimentation via TAPE PROJECTS COLLECTIVE in conjunction with guest curator LOUISE KLERKS.

Buy tickets here
More info here

STEPHEN PAVLOVIC UNVEILS HIS PROGRAM FOR VIVID LIVE  AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE 2011 MAY 27 – JUNE 5

2manydjs  / ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI /  THE AVALANCHES DJs /  AZARI & III / BAT FOR LASHES / CHRIS CUNNINGHAM /  CLUB KOOKY  / THE CRYSTAL ARK /  CUT COPY /  DOM / HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE /  LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIND /  OFWGKTA /  SNEAKY SUNDAY / SONNY ROLLINS  SPIRITUALIZED: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE ARE FLOATING IN SPACE /  TAME IMPALA / TOM KUNTZ  / WU LYF /  YO GABBA GABBA! /  CANYONS / THE SWISS / BENI / VAN SHE / FLIGHT FACILITIES / SOFTWAR /  BAMBOO MUSIK / CHANGES / BAG RAIDERS

Sydney Opera House today announced the program for Vivid LIVE 2011, curated by Stephen Pavlovic of Modular.
Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House (May 27 – June 5) is part of Vivid Sydney (May 27 – June 13), the city’s annual festival of light, music and ideas.  Vivid LIVE celebrates Sydney as a leader in the field of the creative and cultural industries both nationally and throughout the region.

Each year, Vivid LIVE asks a different artist or individual to curate a program of events in and around the world’s most iconic venue.
Following Brian Eno’s debut festival in 2009, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson brought their unforgettable downtown New York vibe to Sydney in 2010.  This year local music industry legend Stephen ‘Pav’ Pavlovic, founder of the hugely successful Sydney-based record label, touring company and international brand Modular, brings fresh Australian eyes to this growing international festival.

Sydney Opera House Head of Music, Fergus Linehan says, “Working to realise Stephen Pavlovic’s Vivid LIVE program has been an exhilarating ride for all of us at Sydney Opera House.  Pav is meticulous, tenacious and fearless in his approach and while his season is host to countless artists who are outstanding in their own right, this is a festival that can only be fully understood in its entirety.  It has also been an honour to work with our colleagues at Events NSW to build a festival which we hope will have real meaning for the people of NSW, draw visitors to the city and celebrate the creative powerhouse that our state has become.”

See the full program here

Scottie Neoh is an artist working out of a self-sustainable mud brick hideaway in Tallarook, Victoria. He has used his many years of working as a graffiti artist together with his love of nature and geometry to distill a style that is very much his own.

Bonsai’s work knows no bounds – mural painting, signage, interior design, fashion design, illustration, product design, you name it – he has applied his craft to it and made it his own.

ROBIN, 940 x 940 x 70 mm, Acrylic on reclaimed Tasmanian oak box framed panels

Bonsai is part of the Wooden Foundations collective, a group of artists who share a similar ideology and a broad aesthetic style that is abundant with the wonder of nature, and is also the designer and producer of Tailfeather, a hand made leather and textile goods company.

No Vacancy Project Space
Fedeeration Square, The Atrium
Melbourne.

Exhibition Running: 19th November – 1st December

Trading Hours:
Monday: Gallery Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 11:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday: 12:00am – 5:00pm

More info at No Vacancy

See more Bonsai’s work here

MONA FOMA (MOFO), is Hobart’s cutting edge Festival of Music and Art. Currently in it’s third year, the festival is once again presenting another ground-breaking and frontier-pushing program for 2011.
From January 14-20, curator Brian Ritchie of Violent Femmes and now The Break fame will present an incredible array of massive and amazing music, dance, theatre, visual art, performance, new media – and some art. It’s a mix of first-time appearances, festival favourites and exclusive one-off performances and it’s mostly free.

The MONA FOMA 2011 Festival line up includes:

Philip Glass and Wendy Sutter [USA]
Grinderman [Australia/UK/USA]
Botborg [Australia/Germany]
Speak Percussion [Melbourne]
Chiharu Shiota [Japan/Berlin]
Brook Andrew [Sydney]
Amanda Palmer [USA]
Neil Gaiman, FourPlay Sting Quarter &Eddie Campbell [USA/Australia/UK]
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion [USA]
BalletLab [Melbourne]
Wire [UK]
Groupe F [France]
Roman Signer [Switzerland]
Gelitin [Austria]
Ana Prvacki [Serbia/Singapore]
Health [USA]
Monanism – the Exhibition

Philip Glass and Wendy Sutter [USA]

Philip Glass [legendary composer/pianist]. Considered one of the most influential composers of late 20th Century. Widely acknowledged as the composer who brought art music to the public. Wendy Sutter [cello virtuoso]. Internationally acclaimed soloist, muse and partner of Philip.

MOFO 2011: The duo will present an intimate evening of Glass compositions. Solo piano, a cello suite ‘Songs and Poems’ and duets each include discussions by the composer. A unique relationship: Glass and his muse Sutter.

Grinderman [Australia/UK/USA]

Australian rock and roll royalty. Formed 2006 as a follow-on from post-punk group Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Nick Cave [vocals. electric guitar. keyboards]. Warren Ellis [electric bouzouki. mandocastor. violin]. Martyn P. Casey [bass]. Jim Sclavunos [drums].

MOFO 2011: These stalwarts guarantee to make Prince’s Wharf 1 throb with noise and poetry.

Amanda Palmer [USA]

Amanda Palmer: [composer/pianist/performer/ukulele basher]. Came to prominence with the American cabaret/rockband Dresden Dolls. Has moved on to a highly successful and diverse solo career ranging from music>film>theatre>dance. Her confrontational and unorthodox relationship with the audience breaks down the usual performer/crowd barriers and leads to all kinds of interactions.

MOFO 2011: Will appear solo and in collaboration with several other artists.

BalletLab [Melbourne]

Formed 1999. Confrontational dance troupe present a trilogy of MONA commissioned new work. Regular MOFO performers, their piece in the inaugural MOFO was SO intense it had to be moved indoors after witnesses to the sound check/rehearsal got anxious and started to cry. One of the most inventive choreographic visionary companies working in Australia. Strikingly contemporary in nature and physically idiosyncratic.

BalletLab’s work pushes performance boundaries and invents movement vocabularies that reference contemporary culture: a transforming often provocative and polarising experience for the audience, the art form and the performer.
Blending, juxtaposing and twisting classical, romantic, baroque and contemporary dance forms, the visual impact of the movement and the provocative conceptual based imagery and design play equal parts within BalletLab’s unique choreography.

Find out more about MONA FOMA

“It can’t rain all the time…”

During a weekend where Melbourne experienced a significant amount of rain, it seemed somewhat appropriate to attend the spooky Underground Cinema event for Halloween. Especially as the mystery film was revealed to be the 90s goth/crime cult classic: The Crow.

2010, Australia, Halloween, Melbourne, UGC, Photography – Dan Murphy

Approaching the secret location characters from the film came to life to interact with you. Whilst waiting in line, small excerpts from the film were re-enacted by the characters standing by: skatebaording past or clutching to a faux grave stone. With so much happening around you, it cannot be helped but to become swept up in the energy and excitement. The Underground Cinema creates an environment where guests are encouraged to be invloved in the scene they create: rather than just a viewer.

2010, Australia, Halloween, Melbourne, UGC, Photography – Dan Murphy

Be quick to get tickets to the Underground Cinema’s final event for 2010 – tickets can be purchased here

Just a couple of our favourite acts were…

Tomorrow, In A Year

Tomorrow, In a Year, Photography by Claudi Thyrrestrup

The beauty of Hotel Pro Forma’s striking visuals accompanied by Scandinavian electro-pop masters The Knife’s extravagent soundtrack provided a modern exploration of what opera can be pushed to be. The use of lasers, smoke machines and video all added to the exciting and unique atmosphere of which consumed the audience throughout the performance.
Directed by Ralf Richardt Strøbech and Kirsten Dehlholm, the performance creates an experience of Charles Darwin’s travels, inspired by his perception of nature and time. We are shown “our image of the world as a place of incredible variation, similarity and unity is re-discovered in this revolutionary electronic feast for the senses”.

John Cale – Noises in My Head

To spend an evening with John Cale to hear him speak about his musical career in a youth orchestra in Wales; writing his first composition in primary school; developing a penchant for avantgarde at a London art college; being guided to New York by the hand of Aaron Copland and John Cage; honing in his signature drone palate at the feet of LaMonte Young and then begin his underground noise bending attack on rock and roll from The Velvet Underground to his current genre-bending music: we felt more than privileged. Of course, by the end we wished there was much more time sit and listen to the man who has created some of the most beautiful chaos in music.

Boredoms – BOARDRUM

Boredoms (Japan), have become known for their “noice, chaos, tribal experimentation, remixing, trance-inducing feats of rythmic intensity, line-up changes, collaborations, and doing whatever they want regardless of trends and fashion”. Since 2007, Boredoms have performed their BOARDRUM set annualy. On the 7/7/2007 they had 77 drummers play together, on the 8/8/2008 it was 88 and last year on the 9/9/2009 it was 9. Boredoms featured 10 drummers for the 10/10/10 show, plus a guitarist and Bordeoms’ ringleader EYE playing two seven-necked guitar mutations.

More information on the Melbourne International Arts Festival 2010 here

Bill Viola’s The Raft

Thu 7 Oct 2010 – Sun 20 Feb 2011
Gallery 2, Australian Centre for the Moving Image

Curated by Alessio Cavallaro and Kate Warren

“Viola’s filmic eye channels light like a Caravaggio brushstroke.”
- Australian Financial Review Magazine

“Viola’s videos are not only mind blowing in concept, they are stunningly beautiful”
- Vogue Australia

Renowned American video artist Bill Viola brings to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) his powerful video installation The Raft, for a celebration of this acclaimed artist’s work as part of the 2010 Melbourne International Arts Festival (MIAF) and the 21^st Kaldor Public Art Project.

The Raft (2004) shows a group of men and women from various ethnic and economic backgrounds waiting in line. Suddenly they are struck by a massive onslaught of water that knocks over some, while others brace themselves and fight for survival. Water flies everywhere, clothing and bodies are pummelled, faces and limbs contort in stress and agony against the cold, hard force. Then, as suddenly as it arrived, the water stops, leaving behind a band of suffering, bewildered, and battered individuals.

The action in The Raft is recorded in high-speed film and unfolds in extreme slow motion to reveal subtle nuances of the light and colour in the explosive impact of the water and the individual expressions and gestures of the figures in the face of an overwhelming assault. Described by the artist as “an image of destruction and survival”, this powerful and extremely moving work is a symbol of hope in the difficult times we find ourselves.

The ACMI exhibition will be shown in conjunction with Viola’s major works Fire Woman and Tristan’s Ascension (The Sound of a Mountain Under a Waterfall), both on display at St Carthage’s Catholic Church, Parkville. For the duration of the Festival the Church is turned into a video art shrine complete with the latest technology, surround sound and enveloping operatic narrative. Shown in a continuous loop, these two works combine for a 20-minute visual and aural experience that extends Viola’s lifelong engagement with the human condition into ancient themes of life, love and death.

The Raft is a free admission exhibition in ACMI’s Gallery 2 opening on Thursday 7 October as part of the 2010 Melbourne International Arts Festival’s visual arts program. The exhibition is open daily from 10am to 6pm until Sunday 20 February, 2011.

More information at ACMI
See more at Melbourne International Arts Festival

The Melbourne Design Market is a one of its kind event that continues to be the place to be and be seen. For stallholders it provides the opportunity to get your new products and ideas out to over 10,000 stylehunters in just one day. Since 2005 the Melbourne Design Market has been popping up twice a year and transforming the Federation Square Car Park into a design show presenting some of this country’s greatest creative enterprises.

For shoppers the Melbourne Design Market is the place to see a fantastic array of merchandise, acquire the latest must-have pieces and enjoy the party-like atmosphere. For successful stallholders it’s a day of sales, orders, and most of all, meeting new clients and receiving valuable feedback on your business.

Do you have a new product or idea that you want to get to the people who’ll appreciate it? Then go to www.melbournedesignmarket.com.au now to look through the FAQs and make your application.

Distinguishing the Melbourne Design Market from all others is a rigorous selection procedure for prospective stallholders to ensure the quality and diversity of the products on offer. Given that it’s such a successful forum to launch new products, the market receives many more applications than can possibly be accepted.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 5PM FRIDAY October 15, 2010

More information here